Founded in 1932 as the Institute of Oriental Studies of the University of Warsaw it is the biggest unit of studies on Asia and Africa in Poland.
Since 2018 it became the Faculty of Oriental Studies consisting of 12 chairs and departments: Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Chair of of South Asian Studies, Chair of Japanese Studies, Chair of African Languages and Cultures, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Department of Egyptology, Department of Hebrew Studies, Department of Iranian Studies, Department of European Islam Studies, Department of Korean Studies, Chinese Language Department, Department of Turkish Studies and Inner Asian Peoples, Centre for East European Studies, Centre for Buddhist Studies.
Today the academic staff of the Faculty of Oriental Studies comprises of over 150 members and educates about 1000 students.